The 'Juice Doctor' is making house calls
Published on May 12th, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - Although most Stonehamites address him as Mr. Chairman while he acts in a public capacity, thousands of television viewers will get to know him as the "juice doctor".
A regular fixture on the Discovery Channel's new do-it-yourself reality show, "Houselift", ZBA Chairman Bill Sullivan can be found installing a mile-and-a-half of wiring in a Boston home renovation project.
"Bill is just not figuratively, but literally the juice doctor of the show. He is and was central to the success of not only the house, but also the show," said home owner Paul Hochman, also known as the "Today Show's" gear guy.
"Bill is quite the character," added Hochman's wife, Tricia Bradley.
Explaining how the show's nickname stuck, Sullivan, a second-generation master electrician, detailed an exchange between Hochman and himself where he said nothing in the house would receive power until the "juice doctor" authorized it.
"It was quite the scene. I was explaining to him that nothing works until I liven it up. I'm in control; I'm the doctor, the juice man...Hopefully, this show takes off so I can be a movie star instead of an electrician. I got all my 5 by 8 glossies ordered," joked Sullivan with his trademark gruff, throaty chuckle.
According to the lifelong Stoneham resident, he was asked to participate in show by the project's general contractor Mike McCrobie, who Sullivan worked with numerous times during his 17-year career as a self-employed licensed electrician.
Featured in the home renovation show's fourth episode, Sullivan admits that his television cameo does involve a brief dispute with lighting designer Michael Eberle of Boston's Chimera Lighting.
"I didn't care for the manufacturer they used for the light fixtures. Let's just say the fixtures are sharp on the hands and create blood loss," recalled Sullivan. "I told him that right up. I had to walk away when the lighting designer guy came so there wouldn't be a conflict."
"Sometimes he's reserved about giving up control of the world of electricity," said Hochman of Sullivan's disagreement. "[Eberle] and Billy just don't come from the same planet. They're from different parts of the universe. Yeah, there was some conflict, but although the two would never go on vacation together, both of them respected each other as talented people."
Throughout his interaction with the tattooed, Harley-Davidson riding Sullivan, Hochman was surprised to see the difference between the up-front Sullivan's outward appearance and his professionalism on the job.
"As far as his personality goes, he threw out the mold. Yes, he has the exterior of a wild guy but he's very professional. He's just a stickler for detail. Nothing will make it in [the house] that's not up to code," Hochman remarked.
Working with electrical systems since childhood, Sullivan has a few tips for homeowners pursuing home renovation projects requiring electrical wiring. Besides the obvious considerations, such as making sure that the electricity is shut off before commencing work, Sullivan also advises home owners to hire a licensed electrician.
Claiming that he constantly runs into problems with customers regarding finances, Sullivan also reminded homeowners to pay up for negotiated work well-done.
"That just means when you contract a guy to do a job, pay him. When you tell an automobile mechanic to do some work and he does the job, you pay him. With the trades, people seem to think they can negotiate price after the fact. That really needs to be done before," explained Sullivan, adding that he had no payment problems with Hochman or Bradley.
Airing on Friday's at 8 p.m., more information on the Sullivan's role in the Discovery Channel's "Houselift" can be obtained by logging onto www.discovery.com and clicking on the Discovery home link.
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